Jakarta (ANTARA) - Two young Indonesian men, Jason Sudirdjo (20) and Davyn Sudirdjo (22), and a US citizen, Wilson Liang (23), launched an artificial intelligence (AI) technology company called MASA AI in Silicon Valley in the US on Thursday.

MASA AI will be the first Indonesian AI solution company with two business units in different verticals, namely big business efficiency and education. In the early stages, MASA AI will focus on educational technology and the development of an artificial intelligence-based Indonesian workforce, Jason said.

"I see middle or lower-class people in Indonesia using thousands of 'study packages.' People pay hundreds of thousands or millions for 2–3 hours of tutoring a week, and if they want additional material, textbooks, video lessons, examples of practice questions, they have to pay more. That is why, MASA AI will provide cheap and affordable access for all," Jason said at the launch of MASA AI from Silicon Valley on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Davyn said that MASA AI will not only educate Indonesians, but offer a dream: of Indonesia competing on the global stage in research and technology.

"To achieve this, first, we must ensure that Indonesians excel in the world's most basic skills, namely, using English. By this, we hope to see more Indonesians study abroad, innovate, and drive our country forward," he added.

MASA AI has two products, JennieTest and JennieSpeak, and is aiming to improve the skills of 150 million workers and 50 million Indonesian students, starting with their English proficiency.

JennieTest can be used to practice for the TOEFL, IELTS, and university entrance exam (UTBK-SBMPTN), and brush up on general English. It offers rapid diagnostic tests based on which, the AI will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of users, provide unlimited practice questions, full test simulations, and unlimited learning materials that will be adapted to students’ needs.

Unlimited access to JennieTest costs Rp19 thousand per two weeks.

Meanwhile, JennieSpeak is a complete speech trainer that can detect pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, tempo, as well as grammatical and vocabulary accuracy to help improve the user's speaking ability. A single practice session on JennieSpeak costs Rp2,500.

Besides English, the MASA AI platform is currently rolling out materials in other languages and subjects.

It will operate through two models, a B2B model involving partnerships with schools, edtech platforms, and multinational companies, and a D2C model, where individual users can subscribe directly to the platform.

It also features real-time robot tutors that will answer any questions users have round the clock.

Related news: UI to host international artificial intelligence conference in Nov
Related news: Brawijaya-Japan cooperate to establish Research Center of Robotic, AI
Related news: Gov't continues studying AI development at domestic, global level: VP


Reporter: Asri Mayang Sari
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2023